Horse-blanket



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model'.)

A. F. RANS OM.

HORSE BLANKET.

Patented Mar. 10,1891.

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(No Mbdel.)

' f;- F. HORSE BLANKET. No. 447,793. Patented Mar. 10,1891.

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, UNITED STATElaTENI QEEICE.

ALBERT F. RANSOM, OF'BURLINGTON, \VISCONSIN.

HORSE-BLANKET.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 447,793, dated March 10, 1891.

Application filed November 29, 1890. Serial No. 373,007. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

. Be it known that I, ALBERT F. RANsoM, a citizen of. the United States, residing at Burlington, in the county of Racine and State of lVisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Horse Blankets or (lovers, of which the following is a specificatlon, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to horse blankets or covers of that class Worn by horses when in the stables; and it has for its object to provide a blanket or cover which may be readily washed without injury, which may be cheaply produced and still be strong and reliable, which will be so constructed that it will securely remain in place and will prevent wear at the upper portion of the tail and'lower part of the mane of the horse.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a horse Wearing my improved cover. Fig. 2 is a detail perspective View of the stiffening-frame at the upper neck portion of the cover. Fig. 3 is a detail View of the fastenings for the breast-stays. Fig. 4 is a diagram illustrating the pattern of the cover, the fastenings and stays being indicated by dotted lines. Fig. 5 is a section on line 5 5, Fig. 3.

. The body of the cover A will, forcheapness, preferable be of canvas, duck, or some stout hemp. cloth, but may, if desired, be of the coarse woolen fabric in common use for horseblankets.

To the body of the cover are attached, by sewing or otherwise, transverse or diagonal bands or stays a, which are of fabric, (instead of leather, as are the stays heretofore more commonly in use,) and which are to be joined underneath the horse by connections a, also preferably of fabric, these stays a and a being connected when the cover is applied to the horse by snap-hooks and rings, as more clearly shown in Fig. 1. Running from the forward stay a are the breast-stays I), also of fabric, these breast-stays being connected by a snap-hook c and a ring cl. As

there will be at times considerable strain on these breast-stays, I divide the strain thereon with the blanket by providing the said snaphook c with a cross-bar c, which will -bear against a portion of the fabric through a small bight or fold in which the said hook passes, as shown in Fig, 3, and the ring d is also provided with a cross-bar d, which bears against the cover or blanket, through which latter the ring is passed in position to be engaged with the said snap-hook. These crossbars 0' and d bear against the blanket and pull on the same independently of the breaststays, and thus divide the strain between the cover fabric and the said stays.

To stiffen the blanket or cover at the upper side of the horses neck and keep the cover in place, I prefer to provide the same with a stiffening-frame e. (Shown in detail in Fig. 2 and indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 1.) This stiffening-frame is preferably formed of some soft flexible wire-such, for example, as the covered wire in common use for electrical conductorsand as it is stitched inside of the blanket or cover it serves to stiffen the same at the point where it is ap plied and hold it in place, so that said cover or blanket will not saw back and forth over the neck of the horse, and thus wear upon the mane, while at the same time, being but semirigid, it is sufficiently flexible to fold up with the blanket when the latter is folded.

To prevent the horse, when in the stall, from wearing the hair off the upper portion of his tail, and also to assist in keeping the blanket in place, said blanket is so cut as to form an imperforate or non-open hood or cover A, coming down far enough on the rump of the horse to protect that portion of his tail which is exposed to wear by rubbing against the sides of the stall in which he may be placed.

Below the hood portion A the cover is open, as shown in Fig. 1, to permit the animal to have a free use of his tail.

By providing the blanket or cover with bands or stays of fabric, instead of the leather bands or stays heretofore more commonly used, it will be apparent that the cover or blanket is adapted to be washed, when required, without any possible injury to any part thereof, this being a great desideratum for cleanliness and neatness of appearance.

Having thus described my invention, I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. The combination, with a horse blanket or cover provided with the bands or stays a of fabric, of the fabric breast-stays b, one having a snap-hook and the other aring to be engaged by said hook, said ring and hook being each provided with a cross-bar to engage the said blanket or cover, and thus divide the strain between the latter and the said stays.

2. A horse blanket or cover provided at the upper side of its neck portion with a sen1irigid stiffening-frame e, stitched inside of the cover fabric and arranged to straddle the Withers and hold the blanket or cover in place and prevent it from sawing back and forth, and thus Wearing the inane.

3. A horse blanket or coverprovided at the upper side of its neck portion with a semirig'id stilifening-frame e, secured inside of the corer fabric and arranged to straddle the withers and hold the front end of the cover in place, the said cover having at its rear end an imperforate or non-open hood portion A, of suitable length to extend down over the upper part of the animals tail, and the said cover being open below the said hood portion to permit the animal to use his tail freely, as set forth.

In testimony whereof I aliix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

ALBERT F. RANSOM.

Witnesses:

E. E. MILLS, IIATTIE M. BUELL. 

